


When I said I'll take it, I meant as is

by maddieaddam



Series: The first "I love you" drabbles [3]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Fluff, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues, Short One Shot, Weight Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-03 22:11:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10976352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddieaddam/pseuds/maddieaddam
Summary: Spina doesn't think he's much of a looker. Doc Roe doesn't think all that matters, but still disagrees.





	When I said I'll take it, I meant as is

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fiction inspired by and only intended to represent the roles played in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. No disrespect is meant to the real men of Easy Company.
> 
> The prompt for this "first I love you" drabble was: in response to self-deprecation.

“Nothing like showerin’ with a bunch of battle-hardened soldiers to remind you why you’re not the one out there bustin’ ass for the cause.”

Gene’s silent for a long time after Ralph makes that utterly perplexing declaration. He chews on it the whole way from the showers to their bunks, turning it in different directions, shifting the meaning of certain words along their spectrum. Try as he might, though, he can’t figure out a single part of what Ralph means.

“ _You’re_ a soldier,” he says at last, without looking up from his hands as they redo the fastenings on his jacket.

“I’m a _medic_ ,” Ralph laughs hoarsely, then adds in a pensive undertone: “Didn’t think you heard me.”

“So am I.”

“Gene, please.” He laughs again. “You’re a god among medics and I don’t wanna hear you pretend otherwise.”

Even though he knows such superlatives are meant as compliments, they always make Gene frown in annoyance. It’s one thing to receive credit for a very specific action or achievement, but that kind of general, gushing praise is so hyperbolic that it renders itself practically meaningless.

“What’s the difference?” Gene decides he’ll keep playing along, though, because he still doesn’t feel very good about where Ralph seems to be going with all of this - and not in regards to himself.

“Between you and me?” One of Ralph’s big, strong hands slaps against his chest, then waves in Gene’s direction. “How much time you got?”

Gene’s entire face folds into deep furrows of annoyance again. They’re getting nowhere. Ralph actually seems to realize how much he’s unsettled Gene this time, though, because he speaks up immediately at the sight of that expression.

“Hey, no, I don’t mean - I’m not sayin’ I’m no good at all or anything -”

“Sounds like you are. Why’d you say you ain’t one of the men bustin’ ass out there?”

This time, Ralph’s laugh is decidedly difficult to hear because it’s so absent any kind of humour. “Think I woulda gone down a pant size or two if I was.”

All Gene can do for a long, long moment, one that seems to stretch between them for hours, is blink slowly at Ralph in disbelief. Now he knows why Ralph brought up the showers in particular, and why he’s talking about physical effort in such a specific way, but the idea is still so strange to him; he’s not built like most of the soldiers either, after all, with his almost coltish limbs and slender frame. It just never occurred to him that he should be self-conscious over his lack of bulk.

That doesn’t make Ralph’s concern frivolous, though. In a way, that makes Gene feel even worse about it having stayed in Ralph’s mind at all, or ever taken root there.

“Hey,” Ralph says again, “it’s not a big deal. It was just a joke.”

“You gotta work on the punchline, then, ‘cause a joke that don’t make no sense even when you work it out ain’t worth the tellin’. Ain’t funny, besides.”

Just as Gene’s wondering if he spoke too curtly about such a sensitive subject, he turns away only to feel Ralph’s arms immediately wrap around him from behind. He presses his face into the back of Gene’s neck and every single thing about his warm, solid presence makes the perpetual weight on Gene’s shoulders lift just a bit.

He can’t figure out how to explain the paradox of that feeling when compared to Ralph’s feelings about his appearance and how it clearly proves him wrong, so he keeps his words more simple:

“Ralph?”

“Yeah, Gene?”

“I love you.”


End file.
